The restart of Kurdish oil exports to Türkiye on September 27, 2025, marked the end of a shutdown that lasted more than two and a half years. That shutdown cut Iraq off from a key pipeline route to European markets.
The Iraq–Türkiye Pipeline (ITP) stopped operating in April 2023 after Baghdad largely won an arbitration case against Ankara. The dispute centered on Türkiye allowing the Kurdistan Region to export oil independently between 2014 and 2018, without federal approval.
Now, oil is flowing again to the Ceyhan terminal under a new three-way arrangement. The deal includes Iraq’s federal government, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and international oil companies working in the Kurdistan Region. Under this setup, Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) has full control over oil sales.
This restart is a big deal for Baghdad.
The pipeline agreement itself goes back a long way. It was first signed in 1973, last renewed in 2010, and is set to expire in July 2026. Türkiye has already told Iraq that it does not want to renew the treaty in its current form.
Ankara argues that the agreement limited its ability to allow other users onto the pipeline and says Iraq has not used the pipeline to its full capacity over the years. By putting SOMO in charge of all exports through Ceyhan, Baghdad wants to show that oil flows can continue smoothly—and strengthen its position ahead of renewal talks.
For Iraq, this is about much more than business.
Securing the future of the ITP is a strategic necessity. While sending oil from southern Iraq to this pipeline would not be easy and comes with technical challenges, the ITP remains the only working alternative to Iraq’s export terminals in Basra.
Right now, the pipeline only carries oil from the Kurdistan Region. But in a country so heavily dependent on oil exports, having more than one export route is critical. That’s why keeping the Iraq–Türkiye Pipeline alive matters—not just for today’s exports, but for Iraq’s long-term energy security.
